Even though we’ve pretty well established that the Texas case isn’t directly about nudity viewed at the art museum, it is important for us museum folks to understand childhood development so that we can respond appropriately. 4^th-8^th graders are either on the edge of puberty or right in the middle of it, depending on individuals. As kids start becoming aware of their own bodies...they take a greater interest in the bodies around them. And of course a heightened interest in nudity, body functions, etc. If you’ve ever been around kids this age in an informal/relaxed setting you’re surely aware that much of their humor is scatological. It’s embarrassing and you want to wring their necks, but it’s perfectly normal.

 

If you bring this age group into an art museum without preparation you’re likely to hear: “oooooh you can see the boobies on that statue” and much, much worse. Years ago I was making my way to a museum conference room for a meeting and passed several little boys staring at ancient statuary just in time to hear, “Look at the d*** on that one!” The problem was that their teacher had allowed the kids to split up into groups of 3-4 to tour the museum, leaving behavior management to the security guards. So…the kids were doing a self-guided tour, looking at the things that interested them! If only the teacher had given them some preparation and clues to look for in the art it would have been far different. (A good friend/colleague was with me, and we still use the boys’ exclamation when we’re privately describing ANYTHING of great interest.) J